Tuesday, December 15, 2015

There are many reasons for making your own holiday ham, but
the best one of all, may be the most superficial. After the holidays, as people are
standing around the water cooler, bragging how great their glazed carrots were,
or how amazing the cranberry sauce came out, you can say, “That sounds great,
but did anyone else cure their own ham? I didn’t think so.”

Above and beyond establishing your culinary dominance with
friends, the other reasons are pretty good too. You can flavor your ham any way
you want; you can somewhat control the salt content; and depending on how many
people you need to feed, can cure any size cut of pork you want, from a whole
leg to a small loin roast.

There are thousands of different brine and spice
combinations, but the procedure is pretty much the same no matter which way you
go. However, there is one thing all these recipes have in common, pink salt. To
make a true ham, you’re going to need a curing salt that contains sodium
nitrite, which is what gives the meat its pink color, and signature “ham” taste,
verses something that just tastes like roast pork.

This magical ingredient goes by several
names, including Pink Curing Salt #, Insta Cure #1, or the one I used, Prague
Powder #1. Yes, you can theoretically use things like celery juice, but long
story short, nitrites are nitrites, and it doesn’t matter where they come from.
For more info on that, and potential health issues, this article by Michael Ruhlman is a good read.

Once the ham is cured, you’ll want to
give it a soak to rinse off the brine, and how long you do this can effect how
salty your meat is. I prefer just a quick dunk, but you can leave it for as
long as 24 hours, which will produce what I’ll call a low-sodium ham. It’s
still pink, and flavorful, but barely salty. Experimentation is the only way to
figure out how long to you should go, but I wanted to give you the range.

If you do want a home-cured ham gracing your Christmas
table, I’ve given you just enough time to get it done. A local butcher should
be happy to give you a few tablespoons of pink salt, otherwise it’s quite easy
to find online. Whether it’s for a holiday dinner or not, I really hope you
give this a try. Enjoy!

- Once cured, you should smoke and/or roast your ham until it
reaches an internal temp of at least 145-150 F. - For a more detailed video on how I prep a ham for the oven, check out this Crispy Honey-Glazed Ham video.

I have done this pork loins and hocks to get some really delicious results but haven't tried a whole ham yet. It is easy to do if you follow the directions here and well worth the effort. My Christmas will be away this year but I am definitely doing this one when I get home. The only caveats to apply are mix and measure carefully - you don't want to overdo the nitrite; and keep everything refrigerated or well chilled during brining to prevent spoilage.

Hi Chef John!Great technique and I want to give it a try so I will pose a stupid question....If I only have half the amount of pork do I just make half of the recipe for the brine. I.E half the water, spices and nitrites or do I make the whole lot and really soak the meat.Keep up the great work!!

Amazing, chef John! Followed your recipe to the letter except I used my brother's smoker for the first stage of the cooking, then finished in the oven on high temp. Also I didn't glaze at the end, but It didn't need it...the most delicious ham I've ever made...or tasted, for that matter! Thanks!

Just did this for our Christmas ham. However, we encountered a problem:

The brine didn't get to the center, so we had a ham/pork combo going on (8 lbs, soaked in brine for 7 days) The outer "ham ring" was really good and the pork center wasn't bad either. Would you recommend using an injection of the brine into the center mass next time?

Overall, my son and I were very pleased at the potential for doing this again in the future. Thanks for posting this "How to"

I made this a month or so ago and shared it with friends. They loved it. Told me it is a "keeper." For her retirement party, I thought I'd prepare it again for a friend. I will be out of town leading up to the party, and am wondering if I can brine and freeze it, then come back home, thaw it, and prepare it for the party.